I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for applying charges to rechargeable batteries. More particularly, the invention concerns an especially low power, fast completion battery charge process that varies the charging voltage, current, and time according to the battery's state of charge.
II. Description of the Related Art
Along with increased computing power, portability has been an important hallmark of the electronic age. Some electronic products today are manufactured in handheld packages, where the same component in past years occupied an entire room. Such portability would be meaningless without the availability of similarly portable power supplies, so it is no surprise that batteries have also undergone significant development in storage capability, compactness, and other features.
Over the years, engineers have developed a number of different battery charging techniques. Although many of these techniques constitute significant advances, and some even enjoy widespread commercial use today, engineers at Qualcomm Inc. are nonetheless interested in improving the performance and efficiency of known battery charging processes. One area of possible focus concerns preventing premature battery decay and loss of battery capacity. For example, the inventors have recognized that certain discharge profiles, under some existing lead acid battery charging algorithms repeatedly undercharge their batteries, causing their batteries to suffer premature battery decay. Some other areas of possible focus include extending battery life, maximizing battery charge, and shortening charge time.